Local history is not taught in schools

The Biography section at Rincon Valley Library. (Photo: Alanis Hill, The Puma Prensa)

By Alanis Hill, staff writer and Briana Jauregui, staff writer

Chances are that the majority of the time that students sit in a history classroom, they are taught about the same historical events or people each year, such as Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas or the French Revolution. Although these events are important to learn about, we also must acknowledge our own historical past. The high school curriculum often fails to acknowledge any local history, often skimming over or not mentioning a single fact of what has happened on the land we stand on today.

Regardless of the significance that local history holds in academics, the high school curriculum, such as that of Maria Carrillo High School, often fails at capturing the full picture of the true history that has taken place where one lives. The United States has been consistently struggling to teach its students accurate and complete history, so unfortunately, it is common for high schoolers to leave without valuable information of their region's past. In fact, it is shocking for many when they find out about something important that had happened many years ago in their area, wondering how they had never heard about it before. This is a problem the education system should fix, as it should not be common for one to lack the knowledge of the history of their own area, despite having lived there for a big part of their lives. “It is always great when high school students come in with some sort of foundation of local history,” said Erike Bruce, a history professor at the Santa Rosa Junior College.

Local history is of great importance for several reasons. It is an essential tool for community building in an area. Being taught about the history of your home can create greater connections to the land when you know about the people who first came to settle, and how they have built up the city you are in, which can give life to your surroundings. “Local history allows us to know the generations that came before us and develop a fuller appreciation for the wonderful area we live in,” said Bruce.

Local history can truly tell a person about a lot of the context of the modern-day circumstances of their community. For example, a seemingly unimportant problem can actually have deep and complex roots that go back into the very early beginnings of a society's history, which may never be known if schools don’t implement local history into the curriculum. Knowing about the past can help people know how to handle problems that stem from long-standing feuds. “Knowing more about the area you live helps to raise your awareness in everyday life, and contributes greatly toward making better decisions about future development,” said Zachary Lawrence, a U.S. history professor at the Santa Rosa Junior College. 

Not only is the knowledge of local history important for community building, but it is also important for one's own sense of identity, as it helps us learn about our place in the world. The lack of awareness of our own surroundings often leaves communities empty and without much sense of their own culture. It opens people's eyes to different perspectives and pushes them to understand further than what they’re used to hearing in their typical history class. Along with that, it commemorates the people who have struggled on this land, creating a sense of appreciation for their home’s cultural past. “Teaching local history to high school students, or one of any age, for that matter, helps to imbue a sense of responsibility and stewardship into the hearts and minds of the people there,” added Lawrence.

A very shocking part of our history that almost no one seems to learn about lies in the Sonoma Developmental Center. Though it first opened in 1891 as a place for those with developmental disabilities to live and thrive in, it soon became a epicenter of the sterilization efforts in the U.S. From 1905 to 1952, many who were deemed to be unfit to have children were sent within the walls of the center to be coerced and in many situations, they were unknowingly sterilized. These practices were inspired mostly by eugenics, the same ideas that the Nazis used during WWII. In fact, Nazis were inspired by the practices that the U.S. implemented, including sterilization. The demographic for these operations varied between those of low IQ, women considered to be promiscuous, rowdy teen boys, those of minority groups and even children. The youngest child to have been sterilized was only the age of seven, according to the institution's own records. In total, around 5,500 people were sterilized, yet these practices that happened within the neighborhoods of the community are for the most part unknown by the general populace. Though the atrocity may be uncomfortable for many to talk about, it’s integral for tragedies like these to be taught and not pushed under the rug. This knowledge is important to those who are here today, as it gives a grander view of their past ancestors and community treatment, showing how it may affect them today. 

There are many more examples of historical events in Sonoma County that the majority of the population has no idea even happened. Sonoma County is widely known for its wine and vineyards, but what most don't know is the history behind it. The Bracero Program, a program that recruited men from Mexico to work legally on short-term labor contracts, played a significant role in the wine industries of Sonoma and Napa counties. “Mexican farm workers often get some credit for supporting the growth of this industry, but my research showed that the industry would not have developed without the leadership, knowledge, and experience of grape growing that these workers developed in the 1940s and later,” said Lawrence in reference to the research he did for his masters thesis. Landowners and winemakers get a large portion of the credit because of the fact that the general population isn't aware of this type of history. The reality is that the hard work and techniques that immigrants brought to the table further perfected the wine industry.

There are a few different ways in which the teaching of local history can be implemented into the high school curriculum. As a start, it can be talked about more in history classes by bringing up events or historical figures from the area, and possibly even having a unit where only local history is covered. Another beneficial possibility would be to bring in speakers who can accurately talk about their own experiences in their past. “I think it would be easiest to [implement it] in English, science, and history by just [implementing] local writers and poets,” said Beth Cuniberti, one of Carrillo’s psychology and humanities teachers. 

In her humanities classes, Cuniberti says that during the beginning of the school year, they try to cover local history, geography, and different cultural facts about Carrillo’s region. She also explains that “during senior year, seniors used to do a project where they had to do something for the community and with the community,” which Cuniberti believes would be a good thing to bring back, or even create a new service project similar to it where they are focused on their community.

Overall, local history should be taught in schools, as it's an integral part of the learning of one's own community. Knowing one's history is important to instill a sense of purpose in the land. As a last comment about the importance of local history, Lawrence said, “It’s really only through connecting what you learn to your own experience and environment that you will retain it and be able to apply it effectively to improve your life.”